Papers of Carlos Paton Blacker, 1920-1974, reflecting his long and active career in psychiatry (including as including as psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital and as an Adviser to the Ministry of Health), and his activities as Secretary to the Eugenics Society and with a number of organisations interested in population and birth control, including the Birth Control Investigation Committee, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and the Simon Population Trust. There is also some material relating to his return to military duty in the Second World War as a Regimental Medical Officer. The collection also includes correspondence (both personal and professional), which sheds light on his interests in ornithology and nature conservation, and other writings both published and unpublished.

The papers of Frederick Parkes Weber, 1886-1962, consist of case notes from his Harley Street and German Hospital practices, some very fine annotated clinical photographs, and (the bulk of the collection) a large number of volumes and bundles dealing with a vast array of diseases and medical conditions, usually accreted around an original paper by Parkes Weber himself. He described how these 'small collections and bundles around kernels of my earliest writings on the subject' evolved in a letter to the Librarian, Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, 27 Feb 1958: "I was in the habit of surrounding my own writings with manuscript and printed correspondence, and all kinds of cuttings and small articles bearing on the subject. Many interesting autograph letters and small essays have in this way become buried and practically altogether lost." These had become 'gradually very extensive, and many of them have become dislocated and unmanageable'. On examination they have been found to include reprints and cuttings of articles, case notes, notes and annotations, correspondence, and photographs. There is also material on more general philosophical questions, and relating to his book Aspects of Death and other publications, and a little personalia and correspondence. Diaries apparently received with the papers were returned to Parkes Weber late in 1958 to assist in the preparation of the notes published as Miscellaneous Notes (see PP/FPW/D.11) and seem never to have been returned to the Wellcome Library (Parkes Weber to Dr Poynter, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 24 Dec 1958 and 11 Feb 1959). This is a collection of major importance for the medical historian.

Parkes Weber had a very active life during a period of unprecedented developments in medicine. He produced well over 1000 articles, and was particularly interested in rare diseases and conditions: conditions with which he is eponymously associated are Rendu-Osler-Weber disease (familial telangiectasis), Weber's diseases (localised epidermolysis bullosa), Weber-Klippel syndrome (haemangiectatic hypertrophy of limbs), Weber-Christian disease (relapsing febrile nodular non-suppurative panniculitis) and Sturge-Weber-Kalischer disease (angioma of brain revealed by radiography). His papers also include much on more common ailments and phenomena, on balneological and climatological treatment, healthy life-style and the promotion of longevity, social medicine, etc. His associates and colleagues included many of the great names in medicine of his day.

Papers of Dr. Letitia Fairfield, reflecting her interests in social hygiene, in mental health, in medico-legal matters and criminology, mother and child health and welfare, and as a Roman Catholic convert, as well as her broader political and feminist convictions. There is also some biographical material.

Papers of Thomas Jeeves Horder, 1904-1955, including Horder's appointment diaries, [one at St Bartholomew's Hospital and one at his private practice], memorabilia, Horder's talks and writings, obituaries and appreciations of his life and work, and a very small accumulation of case notes, apparently from his private practice.

Papers and correspondence, 1860-1944 and undated, of and relating to Sir George Dancer Thane, largely concerning his career, comprising papers on lectures, 1879-1918, including drafts and newspaper reports of his introductory address at the opening of the Medical School at University College London, 1879, and various lectures on anatomy, 1899-1918; notes, 1872-[1911], 1923-1929, on various subjects including dissection, racial characteristics, and other aspects of anatomy, and a list of books to the Anatomical Library of University College London; ten scrapbooks of anatomical drawings, 1867-1913, and undated loose anatomical drawings and medical photographs; other medical papers, 1878-[1926] and undated, including scrapbooks of medical press cuttings, 1878-1914, dates and subjects of dissection classes, 1885-1900, printed papers of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 1887-1897, announcements of lectures, including some by Francis Galton, 1873-1912, papers on University reform in London, 1919, and miscellaneous others; correspondence, 1880-1930 and undated, from over 110 correspondents; personalia and ephemera, 1860-1930 and undated, including certificates, invitations and programmes, papers concerning honours including Thane's knighthood, papers relating to his death, and genealogical notes relating to the Thanes and others, and also papers concerning Lady Thane, 1884-1944; photographs, 1883-1920 and undated, including eleven photographs of Thane, 1883-1920, an undated photograph of Lady Thane, an album of photographs of their honeymoon, 1884, and a photograph of the dissecting room of University College London [1918]; box of bones and fossils.

The papers in this collection are principally concerned with Drysdale's humanist and Malthusian beliefs and are mainly post World War I notes and drafts of chapters of unpublished books and articles. Also included is an unpublished work on family planning by Bessie Drysdale. The collection comprises papers relating to the following: Section 1: publication A Religion For Humanity; Section 2: the book The Malthusian Doctrine and Criterion of Overpopulation; Section 3: the publication To All Who Desire Permanent Peace and Prosperity: Section 4: projected book Science and Post-War Policy; Section 5: the book Wage Earners Save Yourselves!; Section 6: articles and writings on population and the Malthusian doctrine; Section 7: collection of notes and working papers on population; Section 8: collection of technical papers relating to Drysdale's Malthusian interests.

Papers of Arnold White. The topics covered by the collection include gunnery, 1903 to 1905 and naval policy and strategy, on which White exchanged letters with Lord Fisher (1841-1920), Lord Charles Beresford (1848-1930) and Sir Percy Scott (1853-1924). On lower deck conditions the correspondence is largely with Lionel Yexley (1861-1933) and there are notes and letters on Ireland, emigration and eugenics.

Copies of correspondence from the Rockefeller Family Archives, pertaining to support given to the English Eugenics Society for their researches, 1934-1940, in particular the funding of Dr J R Baker's researches for the development of a cheap and safe spermicide.

Personal papers of Letitia Fairfield, c 1930-1939, with correspondence dealing in the main with the subject of compulsory sterilisation, in particular in relation to the Nazi eugenics policy; and to the views of the Catholic Church on the subject, including correspondence with the Eugenics Society.

Papers of Sir Peter Brian Medawar, 1937-1991, relating to career, scientific research, and his writings on the philosophy of science; also biographical material collected by the late Dr Robert Reid.

The initial deposit, sections A-K, consists mainly of correspondence and associated papers (leaflets, memoranda, extracts from minutes, etc.). There are two main series of correspondence: 'People' and 'General' and some other distinct smaller series such as 'Branches and other Societies'. The internal arrangement of these files is normally chronological, with a few exceptions (usually an alphabetical arrangement). There are also lecturers' report sheets, publications, slides, posters, charts, and photographs, mainly but not exclusively in Section G: Propaganda and Publicity. There is a set of Annual Reports and related material 1908-1979 (Section A). Under the will of Dr. Marie Stopes the Eugenics Society was left her birth control clinic, books from her library and certain emoluments. Three boxes of her correspondence and some miscellanea, were assigned to section K. In 1988 minute books and the Society's extensive collection of press cuttings plus some financial records were added as GB0120 SA/EUG/L-N.

Correspondence of the Follow-up Survey Sub-committee of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Population Investigation Committee (PIC) and the Institute of Child Health (University of London), 1949-1952, with some agenda and minutes of the Follow-up Survey Sub-Committee. Also includes applications to the Nuffield Foundation, survey forms and summaries of survey data.

The Josephine Butler Society Library is an unrivalled resource for the study of sexuality and public morality from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century. This unique collection of books, pamphlets, periodicals, leaflets and, campaigning documents, covers subjects ranging from the regulation of prostitution, venereal disease, social purity, sexuality and public health to criminology, penology, eugenics and population control. Although a small number of individual items continue to be added to the collection by the Josephine Butler Society, the bulk of the printed materials date from the late nineteenth and early to mid twentieth centuries.

The Josephine Butler Society Library is particularly important because it brings together the Library of the organisation alongside its campaigning literature and business papers. In addition to sources for the study of prostitution and attitudes to sexuality in Britain the collection includes significant amounts of material on slavery, procuring, public health and the armed forces in India. It contains late nineteenth century works on sexology by Havelock Ellis, Bloch, Forel and Krafft-Ebing and psychology by Freud, Jung and Ellis, as well as works on marriage, the family and sex education. Although most material in the collection is in English there are small but significant numbers of works in European languages. The geographic scope of the collection extends beyond Britain and the Commonwealth; papers of the International Bureau for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons 1899-1968, for example, relate to the Bureau's work with the League of Nations.

Papers of Sir Francis Galton, consisting of papers relating to the personal history of Galton and his family, 1612-1926; papers relating to Galton's scientific work, 1850-1922; and correspondence 1765-1923.

Papers of Reginald Ruggles Gates, 1896-1969, including diaries and research notebooks, papers relating to Botanical Biology; Gates' research files; photographs; appointment diaries; correspondence; papers relating to professional memberships and conference material; press cuttings and published articles on his research interests.

Including diaries and research notebooks, 1906-1962. Papers relating to Botanical Biology, an unpublished work by Gates, including manuscript notes, statistics, photographs and plant seeds. Research files, including draft papers by Gates such as notes from publications, articles, lecture transcripts, lecture notes, chapters of books, book reviews and others. Also photographs, articles, tables of data on physical characteristics of various peoples, graphs and charts, press cuttings and correspondence, on a variety of subjects including botany, oenothera, ethnic groups, race, genetics, biology, anthropology and Gates' anthropological studies in Australia, Canada, Cuba, India, Japan, Mexico, New Guinea, Okinawa, South Africa and Taiwan. Photographs from Gates' travels to Algeria, the Amazon river, Andamanese Islands, Australia, California, Canada, Canadian Arctic, Cuba, England, Gibraltar, Italy, India, Japan, Kenya, Morocco, New Guinea, Russia, Sicily, South Africa, South Rhodesia, Spain, Swedish Lapland and Tunisia; photographs of plant life, particularly oenothera; lecture slides; photographs used for publication in various books and articles by Gates; photographs of human and ape skulls and skeletons, photographs of people suffering from genetic diseases and personal photographs. Appointment diaries, 1921-1962. Personal and professional correspondence, including personal financial papers, 1903-1962. Papers relating to professional memberships and conference material, 1922-1962; press cuttings collected by Gates, 1915-1962 and printed material collected by Gates and his widow, 1928-1966, on subjects relating to his research including oenothera, botany, race, blood groups, physical anthropology, human biology, genetics, prehistoric man and population.

Sections A and B consist of papers found in the Old Dead Registry of the London School of Economics in 1980. Section A files have LSE Registry numbers and concern School affairs. Section B files were not registered, and relate to his research interests and public service, including outgoing letters, general correspondence and subject files. These include some confidential School business. The general correspondence files (B2) include material relating to organisations such as For Intellectual Liberty and the Eugenics Society, and the subject files include material concerning juvenile delinquency, populations, and the Commission on Higher Education in the Colonies. A small quantity of additional material, listed as Section C comprise engagement diaries and letters of congratulation to Sir Alexander on becoming Director of LSE.